


Rubik's Cube

by orphan_account



Category: Teen Wolf (TV)
Genre: Child Abuse, Creeper Derek, Gen, Non-Graphic Violence, Season/Series 02 Spoilers, just saying
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-03-19
Updated: 2013-03-19
Packaged: 2017-12-05 20:10:33
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,813
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/727426
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Derek's offering something that can change Isaac's life forever, but is it really worth it? [My take on what happened in the graveyard and the warehouse. No pairings.]</p>
            </blockquote>





	Rubik's Cube

His dad was just having a bad day. Isaac told himself the same lie, the same excuse to ignore the fact that his dad had hit him and it had hurt like Hell. His face was burning, but it actually hurt a lot less now than it would later. The thing that bothered him was that it was out in the open, no one was around or at least anyone Isaac could see, but his dad usually saved the abuse for when they were at home, behind closed doors. Not out in the open where he and his dad worked. 

Isaac read when he had the chance, a lot. Sometimes he checked out books from the library about the cycle of abuse. He knew that this was just a sign of his father growing more and more dangerous. What if he intended to bury him in the graveyard one day? What if the Freezer wasn’t enough anymore and his dad gave up on him? Isaac let the thoughts whirl around his head as he pulled away from the car door where his father had pushed him. 

“I’ll have it dug by tonight,” he told him, forcing his voice to be steady. Isaac had a test tomorrow. He was supposed to be studying; he’d tried to tell his dad that. His dad never listened. 

“Good. I’ll be back to pick you up in the morning.” The boy didn’t ask what he was supposed to do if he finished early; he knew what he was supposed to do. Walk. And Isaac wouldn’t. He’d just crash with his head against his brother’s gravestone, just like he did after every shift. 

Watching the car disappear into the distance, Isaac suddenly felt like there were eyes on the back of his neck. He turned, eyes glancing across the landscape and into the forest. There was nothing. The graveyard was silent, the sun dropping low in the sky. There was no one there. Just him and the dead, his only friends. 

How very wrong he was. 

X_X_X

  


It wasn’t long before night felt and the night seemed to be going like usual. Isaac used the backhoe to dig, listened to music and took a break now and again. He read the gravestone that had been put into place a few days before. Katherine Argent. Was it strange that he felt a little...hatred for her? 

The same news had reached him that had reached everyone else. The fire that killed the entire Hale family save three, she was behind it all, her and few others but she was the big name on the books. But unlike everyone else, Isaac’s reason for hating Kate was a lot more selfish. She was the reason his last connection to his brother had been lost. 

Camden had left for war. Derek had disappeared with his sister to New York and not too long after Camden had been reported dead. Isaac wrote a letter to the older boy, in some attempt to tell him about what happened to his old friend, but he only received the letter back with a change of address notice on the front. Derek had disappeared and Isaac was left with no one to talk to about his brother’s death. 

The boy took his time. He knew better than to do a shoddy job and he really didn’t have anywhere to be. At some point he caught sight of the black eye his dad had given him. Isaac poked at it, grimacing. His dad was usually so much better about keeping them where they couldn’t be seen, saving Isaac a lot of trouble. But this was going to be something he was actually going to have to come up with an excuse for. 

Something suddenly raised the hairs on the back of his neck and he peered into the darkness curiously. Pulling out his headphones, he looked around. He could’ve sworn he’d…what? He hadn’t seen anything or heard anything, something just felt off. The boy manoeuvred the backhoe in a semi-circle searching for whatever was making him feel like something bad was about to happen. Then he saw it, faintly, he swore he saw a hand clasped around one of the gravestones, except at the end of it were long claws, things you didn’t usually see at the end of a human hand. 

“What the hell?” he muttered, but it disappeared only to have Isaac’s attention grabbed by a faint movement to his left. Turning his head he saw a blur of movement headed in his direction. The boy didn’t even scream, he just backed up against the far side of the cab, hoping the animal or whatever it was would miss him. Fear flashed across his face as the creature collided with the backhoe and he fell into the very grave he’d been digging. 

Glass rained down on him, the boy’s body slamming hard into the dirt but he was used to it and popped up with barely a second’s hesitation, pressing himself against the side of the hole. It was too high for him to drag himself out, but he stood tall enough where he could peer over the side. His wide eyes watched whatever creature had been prowling the cemetery. It looked humanoid, the body structure for the most part. But Isaac heard snarling and gnashing of teeth that reminded him of a rabid dog. The creature was digging into one of the graves, snarling at it like it was food. There had to be more than one though, the thing that had knocked him over had come from the forest while the creature had been in his line of sight. 

At this thought, Isaac ducked back into the grave, his heart racing. Up above there was a loud roaring sound, an actual roar. The boy thought that was what he was hearing at least, but he really thought he could just pass it off for his blood pumping in his ears. Following the first sound, there was a dog-like whining sound and Isaac was thoroughly convinced his imagination was messing with him. _Need to stop working such late shifts without any sleep._ he told himself. Not that that would ever happen. This wasn’t some job that Isaac had chosen for the fun of it, he didn’t get a choice. 

There was a period of silence and then there were footsteps. Actual footsteps. Isaac didn’t think his heart could beat any faster. He pressed himself against the dirt wall, clenching his eyes shut and wishing he could be just as invisible here as he was at school. This was the very last place in the world that he wanted to die. In a grave he’d dug. 

Whoever or whatever it was waiting for him had the strength to lift the backhoe and set it completely upright with a crash, leftover pieces of glass tinkling down the side of the grave. Faintly, Isaac thought about how angry his father would be with him when he found out he’d managed to shatter the windshield and probably ruin some sort of mechanism inside the machine. Would anyone believe his story? Would he be alive to tell it? 

He’d backed himself into the corner without realizing it, wishing he could materialize into the dirt. The footsteps circled the backhoe and Isaac felt like they were taking their sweet time to come get him, of course, why does the wolf need to hurry to snatch up the poor defenceless rabbit when he’s stuck in a hole with nowhere to go? Not that Isaac really knew how ironic his metaphor was. 

A shadow fell over Isaac as the owner of the footsteps appeared at the edge of the grave. The boy lifted his head, his heart pounding in his chest, his hands shaking, eyes glancing up at none other than Derek Hale. 

“Need a hand?” 

Isaac felt a sharp exhale of air leave his lungs as he sank to the floor of the grave, the adrenaline in his veins starting the process out of his bloodstream though it would take a few hours or more. His panic subsided at the sight of a familiar face though. Well, mostly familiar. Derek Hale had gotten a lot taller and a lot more…muscular since Isaac had seen him last. Of course, Isaac had changed a lot too. Taller, lankier and so much quieter. 

“Or you can sit there for the rest of the night if you want…” Derek’s voice carried to him and Isaac snapped out of his thoughts, remembering that he’d been offered help. It was actually a bit strange, he thought, taking Derek’s hand and letting the other pull him out of the grave he’d been digging. Isaac very rarely asked for help, almost never actually, his father had attempted to instil a “help yourself” mentality into the boy recently. 

“Thank you,” he said, turning away almost as soon as his feet were on the upper ground. Derek just hovered nearby, his hands stuffed into the pockets of his leather jacket. Isaac busied himself examining the damaged backhoe before moving, hesitantly to the dug up grave. He crouched down. The creature, he assumed that the gravediggers wasn’t Derek, had gotten into the decayed coffin and actually to the body. Isaac felt his stomach lurch a bit because he could sit where it had been opened up and an organ was missing and he popped to his feet. He turned around and literally walked right into Derek. 

“Jesu—Derek!” 

He hadn’t even heard him move. The man lifted an eyebrow but didn’t answer as the teenager moved past him and back to the backhoe. “So you’re not going to ask?” 

Isaac cast a glance over his shoulder, looking around in the dirt for where he’d dropped his phone. “Ask about what?” He knew exactly what Derek was talking about and Isaac had questions, he had millions of questions whirling around his little head begging to be asked. He wanted to know what the Hell had been prowling the grave yard? Who or what had knocked the backhoe down? Was he imagining the roaring and the whines? What had lifted the backhoe? The answer to that seemed like it was supposed to be Derek but that seemed almost impossible. Not to mention so many other questions he needed answered that had been brewing for years. 

Dirt and rocks crunched under foot as the Hale approached. There was a sad look on his face, not that Isaac caught it. Derek remembered Isaac as a lively twelve year old, who clung to his older brother’s leg like a fungus but when you got him talking it was almost impossible to get him to stop. One thing that Derek had thought was the best thing about the little boy was that he asked questions, loads of questions and he never really stopped. Always curious, Isaac Lahey. Sure it was bound to get him into some trouble, but just a few scrapes here and there was all Derek assumed would happen. After what he’d seen earlier, he knew he was wrong. Dead wrong. And he noticed just how much the other had changed over five years’ time and not just in appearance either. 

With a complete disregard for his personal space, Derek reached out and turned the boy’s head to the side before he really had a chance to think about flinching. “You don’t seem like the type to get into fights at school, who hit you?” 

His tone was matter-of-fact, considering he knew the truth, had watched the event unfold only a few hours before. If Isaac hadn’t known any better he would have claimed that the stoic voice sounded mildly concerned. “Doesn’t matter,” the boy said, adding a shrug for effect to his act, “I got it playing lacrosse.” 

The werewolf’s eyes lifted in mock surprise before shrugging. “How many more times do you have to say it before you believe your own lie?” 

Isaac looked suitably chastised and shrank away from the other, not that that was Derek’s intention, but at least the teenager knew that Derek wasn’t going to take the same bullshit he fed everyone else. His fingers were frozen on the phone, his father’s number half-dialled. 

“What was that thing?” the boy finally asked. “What happened? 

A little smirk stretched across Derek’s face when Isaac finally gave in. He could see the other’s grip tight on the phone and the smirk quickly disappeared. “Short answer, something dangerous.” 

The young teen’s eyes seemed momentarily frightened almost at the same time they looked annoyed. “And the long answer?” 

“I can’t share with you.” 

Isaac’s face degraded into a mask of anger, when all he really felt was hurt. “Well, why ask if I’m going to ask questions, if you’re not going to answer them? How about this one…where were you? My brother said I could trust you and you just disappeared!” 

Derek’s eyes flashed red, not out of anger but out of the memories that arose when he thought about the promise he had made Camden. He hadn’t meant to break that promise, but it had been made in a childlike moment, when Derek thought he was safe and that his entire world wasn’t going to crash. 

“I heard about Cam, I’m sorry,” he offered his condolences with a softer tone but Isaac was done and he’d turned back to his phone and started dialling the number again. “How long has he been hitting you?” 

Isaac had the number dialled and his thumb hovering over the call button. Derek’s question is brash and straight forward, eyes lifted in a matter of fact way that just dared Isaac to debate and say that it wasn’t true, that his father wasn’t hitting him. 

“A couple years…” he said, his voice barely over a whisper as if he was hoping Derek couldn’t hear. 

“A couple?” 

Rolling his eyes as if to pass off how silly it was, Isaac corrected himself, “…..Five or six.” 

Derek congratulated himself at managing to hide his horror and the anger that coursed through him at the simple though. He’d watched Lahey patriarch hit his son earlier that afternoon and it had taken everything Derek had not to make his presence known by attacking him and chewing the older man’s arm off. He’d known Mr Lahey as a bit of a callous man, sure, but he never imagined he would lay a hand on either of the Lahey brothers but especially Isaac. All curiosity and curls and imagination and all of that seemed to have been beaten almost completely out of the boy. The very thought made Derek more than just angry, it made him livid and it hurt something deep inside his heart because of his promise, his broken promise. 

“What if I said the answer to your question can make it go away?” Derek inquired, “Your dad wouldn’t be able to hurt you anymore and you could protect yourself.” 

Isaac didn’t answer and the other impeded his personal space yet again. His face dangerously close and Isaac suddenly realized there was a strange glint in Derek’s eyes. “What if I said you could finally fight back?” 

“I’d say you can keep your secret,” Isaac snapped, taking a step back from the other and hitting the call button for his dad. 

Derek actually looked confused for a moment and just sort of stared at Isaac as if he’d turned down a free 5-course meal. He was quiet the entire time Isaac explained to his dad what had happened or at least in simple terms that didn’t make him sound like he was out of his mind. Derek heard Mr Lahey yelling in the background, a threat or two snarled at Isaac before the adult ended the call. Isaac’s hands were shaking and he sat down on the edge of the backhoe, almost to prepare himself. 

“What happens downstairs? What’s down there?” Derek asked, his head almost quirked to the side in confusion. There was a blip in the boy’s heartbeat when his father had thrown that out, something about taking him downstairs to talk when they got home. 

“N-Nothing,” Isaac answered, but there was a tremor to his voice and Derek can hear fear beating in his heart. Fear that told Derek something worse than getting hit around was happening to Isaac, something that the boy was a lot more scared of than getting a simple beating. The boy lifted his head and looked at the other, his eyes looked a lot younger now, seeking help without actually asking for it. “My dad’s going to be here soon, you should probably go.” 

“You really don’t want to know?” Derek offered again, but this time he was trying harder, he wanted Isaac to take the bite now, especially now that he knew what Mr Lahey was doing to the kid, or at least half of it. 

“Can you tell me what that was or can you not?” Isaac retorted, “Because I’m going to have to tell my dad something.” 

“What I tell you, you’d have to keep to yourself,” Derek answered with a shake of his head. 

Isaac sat up and looked over at Derek, eyes dark with something akin to anger mixed with his own fear. “Then I don’t want to know.” He was lying. He wanted to know so badly it was practically killing him inside not to ask, but Isaac didn’t have time for any more secrets, not when his dad was threatening to put him in the Freezer for this. 

Derek shrugged, and to some effect, shrugged off his emotions and his personal feelings towards the young boy. How badly he wanted to hug him close and protect him and never let his father lay another finger on him. But he needed a pack. A willing pack. Isaac didn’t want to the bite, didn’t seem willing to keep a secret and Derek didn’t need that uncertainty. 

“I’ll be at the abandoned warehouse on Jefferson, come find me there if you change your mind.” 

And with that Derek was gone. Though he would watch the events from the side-lines, watching Lahey come speeding to the graveyard, wrenching his door open and cursing all the while at a silent Isaac. Derek cringed inwardly at the sight but he did nothing; there was nothing he could do really, not without mauling the man to death (which he could do with no qualms if he didn’t think the Hunters and the police would rise up against him). 

He waited until the Sheriff got there and the rays of sunlight were peeking over the horizon. He wondered if Isaac was going to get any sleep before school, but he doubted it. He watched and at some point Isaac noticed him and there was a moment of silence before the Sheriff dragged Isaac back to the conversation. The Lacrosse practice wasn’t a lie and Isaac made a grim face when he told the Sheriff about the liver before bolting so he could get to practice on time. 

X_X_X

  


Isaac didn’t want to go home that night. Because his dad was surely going to punish him for what had happened to the backhoe. To his surprise though, his father was actually gone when he got home. The house was empty and dark but there was a note on the table telling him that his dad was out with the search party looking for Lydia. 

There was a moment of relief that came over Isaac before he read the end note that said _We’ll talk when I get home_. The relief was gone and was quickly replaced by that terrible dread. Isaac didn’t know which was worse, knowing his fate and being unable to escape it’s terror or not being prepared and his dad just catching him off guard. Anything that involved the Freezer was awful. 

Derek’s words were still ringing in his head and he realized how badly he wanted those answers, how badly he wanted to know. He’d never lost his curious nature, it had just been supressed over time with a kicking reminder here and there. But Derek had said the secret could make it stop. What if…What if that meant the Freezer too? Isaac wasn’t afraid of his dad hitting him, honestly it was so routine at this point that if he stopped, he wasn’t sure what he would do. The Freezer on the other hand was awful. Sometimes he couldn’t breathe, sometimes he was afraid his dad would just leave him in there and he’d freeze to death or he’d starve to death. Not to mention the dark was awful and he hated it. 

Flashlight in hand, Isaac found himself sneaking out past curfew any way. It felt kind of silly, because he knew he was only going to end up upsetting his dad even more. But what was worse than the Freezer? And if Derek was being honest then he didn’t need to be afraid any more. But it was weird that he had this giddy feeling inside as he left his house and crept through the town; being all criminal and that kind of thing. It almost made him laugh. 

By the time he reached the warehouse though, he was suddenly uncertain about his choices. He wanted to turn back. But he didn’t know when his dad would come back. He’d pretty much done so many things to upset his dad that it was probably going to sign his death warrant. Who knew though, maybe his dad would forgive him? Too late, he was already opening the door and starting down the stairs. Isaac clicked on his flashlight because he couldn’t see anything and made his way slowly down the stair case. 

Derek could hear the boy’s heart thudding in his chest before his sweaty hands even touched the doorknob. He waited patiently, thoughts drifting to his conversation with Scott earlier. He didn’t mourn the Omega’s death really, it had been crossing to many boundaries as it was, but the fact that Gerard had attacked him, had called for blood that he didn’t have any right to call for, it unsettled Derek and he knew he needed to form his pack as fast as possible. But then again, could he really just ask Isaac to sign himself up for a war? 

The boy was at the bottom of the stairs, his flashlight fearfully darting around in every direction before it flashed over Derek and froze. Isaac’s heart was practically doing flips in his chest, it felt like it was going to break his ribs as he just watched the other with wide eyes. Had his eyes been red a moment ago? 

“You came.” 

It was a statement and Isaac didn’t like how smug Derek sounded about it, like he’d known the boy couldn’t withstand the mystery. It was true, partially. “Yeah…” Isaac said, looking away and feeling almost ashamed that he’d even come this far, that’s he’d fallen into being predicable. 

Derek moved and Isaac followed him with his flashlight as if he needed to, he wasn’t sure why it mattered. But the lights came to life and the boy was able to turn the flashlight off. “So?....What’s the big secret? I’m good at keeping secrets as you yourself have already said.” 

The Alpha laughed at the boy and just shook his head, sitting down on the stairs leading off the rail car. Isaac just stared at him, a bit annoyed that the other was laughing at him and he didn’t know why. “Does it have to do with the deaths from the last few months?” 

“Yes.” 

Derek’s answer was simple. It was technically, the secret as a whole. The thing in the graveyard, the omega, wasn’t, of course. But that was a much longer conversation. He looked the boy over, saw how he was practically trembling still, clutching to his flashlight like a safety blanket. 

“How badly do you want it? To be safe and free from your dad?” 

There was a long period of silence and Derek suddenly regretted his words. He wasn’t sure how using his father’s abuse as a reason to get the bite was going to work. Standing up, Derek hovered near Isaac and waited. 

“….it’s a Freezer.” 

Confusion flashed across Derek’s face because the word ‘Freezer’ had absolutely nothing to do with werewolves and Alpha packs and danger and wars and what the hell was the boy talking about? It was probably written across his face as he blinked and pulled back and shook his head with closed eyes before looking back to Isaac. “What?” 

Isaac lifted his head, he’d pulled his arms closer without Derek really noticing, nearly hugging himself. His eyes were icy blue and serious and full of a kind of fear Derek’s only seen once or twice in his entire life. “You asked me what’s downstairs. I-It’s a Freezer.” 

“And…?” Derek didn’t mean for his voice to sound so sarcastic, but he doesn’t really understand where this was going or why Isaac reeked of more fear than even earlier that morning when he’d thought his life was in danger. 

His tone made Isaac feel like he didn’t want to hear and that wasn’t what Derek wanted, but he couldn’t really bring himself to speak up so he just watched Isaac curl up into himself and shake his head, changing his mind. 

“Isaac. What does a Freezer have to do with anything?” Derek asked, his words sharp and emphasized, “You know, it’s not abnormal to have a meat freezer in—“

“He locks me in it.” 

The silence that came next was long and no one wanted to break it. Derek didn’t know how and Isaac had nothing left to say but he went on any way because he hated the silence. “Sometimes it’s only for a few hours, but most of the time it’s the entire night, every once in a while it’s an entire day. And, it’s dark and it’s silly that I’m so afraid of it, but…You asked me how badly I want this secret and I answer that I’d rather die repeatedly than go home and face what my dad has in store for me after what happened at the graveyard this morning. Because he’ll put me in the Freezer and he won’t let me out, no matter how many times I beg.” 

Isaac suddenly realized how much he was talking and how he’d just told Derek almost everything and he felt really vulnerable for the first time in a long time. Because he’d kept this a secret for so long, no one had a clue and as soon as he’d said anything related it just tumbled out. 

Derek took slow, painfully slow steps, forward because now he was afraid that Isaac might actually be too afraid and would bolt. He crouched down in front of Isaac. “Look at me.” Isaac looked up with hesitation at the order and stared at Derek’s eyes. They were red again, glowing. 

“I can give you power, strength, freedom, but it comes at a price, you’re not going to be safe from harm, but you won’t be alone and you’ll finally be able to fight back. It’s your choice.” 

“What do I have to do?” Isaac questioned. Everything came with a price, nothing was ever free and Isaac was a bit uneasy. 

“Just hold still.” Derek didn’t really have to ask at this point, because Isaac had already said yes in a sense. Not verbally, not really, but his body language, the way he’d relaxed a bit when he asked his previous question, he wanted to do whatever it took to get what Derek promised. 

The Alpha took Isaac’s arm and he didn’t give the boy any warning whatsoever, he found it was easier that way so he didn’t panic. He sank all his teeth into the boy’s upper arm, Isaac giving a loud cry, but knowing better than to pull away. Derek pulled away and wiped the blood from his face, before looking to Isaac worriedly. 

Pale and sick looking, Isaac was staring at the newly formed wound with eyes full of confusion and fear. “What did you just…?”

“The answer to your question is werewolves, Isaac. That was what was in the graveyard last night, a werewolf, an Omega to be exact. Omegas are dangerous, packless, they lose themselves. This is something you need to get through your head quickly if you’re going to survive. Without a pack, you will die. You’re my Beta now…we’re pack.” 

Isaac knew about wolves, he’d read about them. He used to read about a lot of things that interested him before he’d lost the time between work and school and just generally trying to survive life. 

“We’re family now.” 


End file.
